Tenn. Supreme Court clarification could lead to parole for Lillelid murderers

Posted: Fri 3:52 PM, Dec 07, 2018

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) -- Two people convicted in the murders of the Lillelid family could see parole due to a Tennessee Supreme Court clarification.

According to CBS affiliate WJHL, on Thursday, the court determined that a defendant convicted of first degree murder as a juvenile on or after July 1, 1995 becomes eligible for parole after serving 51 years.

Six people were convicted in the killing of the family that occurred in 1997. Two of them, Jason Bryant and Karen Howell, were minors at the time.

On April 6, 1997, the Lillelid family was carjacked at a rest area on Interstate 81 in Greene County. The carjackers forced the family to driver to a secluded area where they shot and killed Vidar Lillelid, his wife Delfina and their six-year-old daughter Tabitha. Their two-year-old son Peter survived.

The suspects, all from Kentucky, pleaded not guilty to the murders, but later admitted to the killings and are all serving life sentences.

The court's clarification means that Bryant and Howell could become eligible for parole after serving at least 51 years in prison.

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